The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Present day smartphones are being used with particular applications running thereon to download content for playback while a user is travelling in a motor vehicle. For example, one specific application popular at the present time is PANDORA® Internet Radio (hereinafter simply “Pandora Internet Radio”). Pandora Internet Radio is capable of supplying predetermined music content to the smartphones of users which is tailored to take into account the likes and dislikes of the user. Potentially two types of content may be supplied to the user: 1) content which includes commercials interspersed throughout the delivered content; and 2) commercial free content.
In an application where the user is using her/his smartphone to access the content provider and playback the content on a vehicle radio system, there has been no way to use the vehicle in a manner that enables different types of content delivery (e.g., “premium content” or “standard content) to be delivered by a remote content provider to the user's smartphone. Presently some vehicle manufacturers provide a free period for some type of service (e.g., satellite radio subscription), when a user purchases a vehicle of the manufacturer. But this scenario does not provide any way for the vehicle to be used to selectively “unlock” a premium feature that a given application on the user's smartphone is capable of providing. With this example, the subscription service to the satellite radio content provider will be available to anyone using the vehicle. And there is no easy and convenient way for the vehicle manufacturer to control the delivery of the subscription service after delivering the vehicle to the user.
It is anticipated that it would be highly desirable if different levels of functionality of a service that a smartphone is able to make use of, through an application running on it, could be controllably delivered to the user while the user is travelling in a motor vehicle. This would enable the user to potentially obtain different levels of service (such as a premium service for a given application), depending on what levels of premium service have been designated/authorized by the vehicle manufacturer. It would also enable the vehicle manufacturer to better promote loyalty among its customers by providing a means to more easily provide the vehicle owner with complimentary access to premium content as part of promotions, or for visiting a dealership associated with the vehicle manufacturer. Thus, by using the vehicle as a means to “unlock” one or more different levels of premium content of a service that the vehicle's radio is being used to help provide, this may provide even greater flexibility to the manufacturer in promoting its vehicles.